Wycombe Wanderers made the League One promotion race a little more interesting by beating Huddersfield Town last night, and Mike Dodds insists his team are not giving up the fight.
Wrexham enjoyed a perfect weekend when they beat Burton Albion 3-0 at the Racecourse Ground, and Wycombe lost to Reading to open up a six-point gap between second and third.
However, Wycombe’s game in hand was always going to have an impact, and the Chairboys made good on their part by securing a big three points in a tight 1-0 win against Huddersfield in midweek.
Now, both Wrexham and Wycombe have played 41 matches, with the Red Dragons still three points clear but with a slightly inferior goal difference.
Mike Dodds insists Reading defeat has fired up Wycombe Wanderers
Speaking after his side’s win over Huddersfield, Wycombe boss Mike Dodds suggested that the way others reacted to their loss at Reading has helped motivate his team to prove them all wrong.
He said: “My focus is still on us, on the fans, the people behind the scenes… that being said, I think people wrote us off after Reading, and that’s galvanised us I think.
“If people want to write us off that’s fine, but I think what our players have shown here [against Huddersfield] is that they’re a strong group, they believe in what we’re trying to do.
“It’s the business end of the season, it’s more tetchy, decisions aren’t as clean as you’d like. But we still believe we’ve got a real chance. I said to the group after Reading, there’s twists and turns for every team still to come.”
Previously, Dodds admitted Wrexham have the upper hand in the promotion race, but after the win last night, he will surely fancy his chances of catching Phil Parkinson’s men before the season is over.
What’s the state of play for the final five games in League One promotion race?
That win was massive for Wycombe, but the fact of the matter is, everything is still in Wrexham’s hands at this point. If the Red Dragons win their remaining games, or at least match Wycombe’s results, they will be promoted.
A supercomputer predicted Wrexham will get promoted, and will do so with 89 points. Wycombe, meanwhile, were projected to end up with just 84 points. That’s another seven points for Wrexham, and just six for Wycombe.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Birmingham City (P) | 40 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 73 | 29 | 44 | 95 |
| 2 | Wrexham | 41 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 59 | 32 | 27 | 81 |
| 3 | Wycombe Wanderers | 41 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 66 | 37 | 29 | 78 |
| 4 | Stockport County | 41 | 21 | 11 | 9 | 60 | 36 | 24 | 74 |
| 5 | Charlton Athletic | 41 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 57 | 38 | 19 | 73 |
| 6 | Reading | 41 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 59 | 51 | 8 | 68 |
It all comes down to these next five games, but given Wrexham’s run of form and the strong mentality that’s been fostered at the club over the last three seasons under Parkinson, it’s hard to imagine them relinquishing that second spot now.
For both teams, the fixtures against Charlton Athletic will be key. Wrexham play the in-form Addicks on April 26, while Wycombe face them on April 21. By the time Wrexham’s game there comes around, Wycombe could already be out of the running, but Charlton are also one to watch.